2015-08-02T20:43:22ZTurnaround strategies for SADC airlines with specific reference to Air Zimbabwehttp://hdl.handle.net/10500/16523
Turnaround strategies for SADC airlines with specific reference to Air Zimbabwe
Chingosho, Elijah, Wing Commander.
The financial and economic performance of SADC airlines has been poor for some time. The governments, citizens of SADC countries and donor agencies are no longer tolerating the existence of the loss making foreign currency intensive, prestige national airlines. This dissertation seeks to find ways to turnaround the poor performance of SADC airlines.
The dissertation focused on the three basic turnaround strategies of cost leadership, differentiation and focus.
The McKinsey 7-S framework was used to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of SADC airlines.
The external (operating) environment was also analysed to determine the opportunities and threats. A study was carried out of some successful turnarounds of British Airways and Scandinavian Airline System. Singapore International Airlines, one of the most successful airlines in the world, was also studied in detail.
The study showed that the strategy of cost leadership while focusing on domestic and regional operations was most likely to result in optimal performance of SADC airlines
1998-03-01T00:00:00ZLeveraging technology for business fleet applications : a case study of fleet management system implemented in Kenya Power & Lighting Company Limitedhttp://hdl.handle.net/10500/11883
Leveraging technology for business fleet applications : a case study of fleet management system implemented in Kenya Power & Lighting Company Limited
Waiyaki, Edward Chege
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a modern fleet management system in improving the logistics of transporting staff, goods and materials in Kenya Power & Lighting Company, a utility firm in power distribution. In today’s competitive marketplace which is characterised by rapidly changing business requirements, leveraging leading edge technologies and adopting best practices are essential in order to ensure sound logistical support that guarantees both effectiveness and efficiency in the transportation processes.
The sampling procedure of one-stage, cluster sampling and the use of the simple random sampling technique were used in this study to select a sample size which was sufficiently representative of the whole population. Both the descriptive study approach and the survey research strategy were adopted to enable the collection of data in a manner that allowed in-depth examination while gathering information that explained the relationships between constructs, in particular, cause and effect relationships.
The main purpose of this dissertation was therefore to establish that the use of information technology is feasible in transport industries, explain possible obstacles and also any major advantages of its implementation. Secondly, as regards the theoretical aspect, a broadened view on the use of online tracking for vehicles using a global positioning system is presented, together with practical examples, to illustrate its successful implementation in a fleet management system. The study concludes by offering suggestions and recommendations from the research results and the researcher’s experiences for future studies.
2013-10-18T00:00:00ZInternational market potential of avitourism in South Africahttp://hdl.handle.net/10500/4373
International market potential of avitourism in South Africa
Conradie, Nicolene
Despite rapid growth of avitourism globally, the international market potential of
avitourism in South Africa, which has remarkable birdlife, is not fully utilised. This
research aimed to profile international avitourists by investigating their behavioural
involvement, motivations, preferences, agreement to ecotourism principles, and
awareness of avitourism in South Africa. Primary data were gathered by distributing
questionnaires at the British Birdwatching Fair and Dutch Vogelfestival. Exploratory
factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were applied. The
results indicated that avitourists differ in terms of behavioural involvement, motivation
and preferences for each fair and birder type (casual, active or committed), but
agreed on ecotourism principles. A second-order CFA model for avitourist motivation
revealed three new constructs – wellbeing, intellectual activity and engagement.
Respondents indicated relatively low awareness but high interest in visiting South
Africa as a birding destination. The results support the South African avitourism
industry potential in product development and destination marketing.
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZThe appraisal of transport infrastructure projects in the municipal sphere of government in South Africa, with reference to the city of Tshwanehttp://hdl.handle.net/10500/4269
The appraisal of transport infrastructure projects in the municipal sphere of government in South Africa, with reference to the city of Tshwane
Schutte, I. C. (Ignatius Christiaan), 1949-
The annual budget cycle in urban road/transport authorities by implication requires transport infrastructure projects to be ranked in terms of their relative value, to enable project selection by starting from the most deserving proposal. This follows from the fact that the total cost of feasible projects practically always exceeds available funds, signalling the need for some kind of selection protocol. Cost benefit analysis (CBA), when applied in a narrow sense, is not suitable for this purpose as it focuses on economic efficiency only. Attempts to broaden it have been criticized by some scholars. Although the diversity of impacts points to a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach, this is considered unscientific in certain quarters; at best, its practical value needs to be demonstrated. In the case of the City of Tshwane (CoT), problems with current project appraisal are evident in that different methods – none of which is defensible – are used, sometimes resulting in rankings that are contradictory.
This thesis therefore attempts the following: (a) to develop a basic approach that combines the best elements of traditional methods; (b) to customize this approach to the specific context and needs of road authorities in the municipal sphere of government, using CoT as an example; and (c) to demonstrate the application of the resulting appraisal framework, utilizing appropriate decision-support software for this purpose.
Recommendations include the following: An appraisal framework should combine CBA and MCA by adopting an overall MCA approach with economic efficiency – focusing on the optimal allocation of scarce resources – as one of the decision criteria. For completeness‟ sake, three additional decision criteria are deemed necessary: equity (focusing on income distribution impacts); sustainability (focusing on environmental impacts); and compatibility (focusing on the alignment of projects with stated goals and objectives). This framework may well apply to road authorities in other spheres of government – the optimum application in each case will depend on the composition of the relevant decision-making team. The inherent nature of project appraisal requires a two-phased approach in all cases: the evaluation of mutually exclusive alternatives, followed by the ranking of independent projects. State-of-the-art decision support software is indispensable for implementing this framework.
2010-11-01T00:00:00Z